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 200 Anecdotes by Hannah More.

London, March 29, 1783.

Hoole has just sent me his preface to his translation of Ariosto, which is coming out ; an expensive present ; since I can now do no less than subscribe for the whole work, and a guinea and a half for a translation of a book from the original is dearish z. Saturday I went to Mrs. Reynolds's to meet Sir Joshua and Dr. Johnson ; the latter is vastly recovered. Our conversation ran very much upon religious opinions, chiefly those of the Roman Catholics. He took the part of the Jesuits, and I declared myself a Jansenist. He was very angry because I quoted Boileau's bon mot upon the Jesuits, that they had lengthened the creed and shortened the decalogue ; but I con tinued sturdily to vindicate my old friends of the Port Royal. On Tuesday I was at Mrs. Vesey's assembly, which was too full to be very pleasant. She dearly loves company ; and as she is connected with almost every thing that is great in the good sense of the word, she is always sure to have too much. I inquired after the Shipleys, who had promised to meet us there, and was told they had just sent an excuse ; for that Anna Maria and Sir William 2 were at that moment in the act of marrying. They will be now completely banished, but as they will be banished together, they do not think it a hardship. May God bless them, and may his stupendous learning be sanctified ! I went and sat the other morning with Dr. Johnson, who is still far from well. Our conversation was very interesting, but so

1 Jeremy Bentham says that even of those with whom he asso-

' Hoole got money by plays and elated intimately. . . . The opinions

translations, which he got people to he expressed of people depended

subscribe for. He even asked me very much upon their personal rela-

for subscriptions, though he lived in tions to himself.' Macvey Napier

style asked me who lived in beg- Corres. p. 441. gary !' Bentham's Works, x. 184. La Rochefoucauld says (Maximes,

Bentham's characters must be re- No. 88) : ' L'amour-propre nous

ceived with caution. Mill wrote augmente ou nous diminue les bonnes

on Oct. 14, 1843, about Bowring's qualites de nos amis, a proportion de

Life of Bentham : * Mr. Bentham's la satisfaction que nous avons d'eux ;

best friends well knew I have heard et nous jugeons de leur me"rite par la

some of those who were most at- maniere dont ils vivent avec nous.' tached to him lament his entire 2 Sir William Jones. Life, iv.

incapacity to estimate the characters 75, n. 3.

many

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